


tasted hard and right

by anaisonfire



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Crack-ish, Fix-It, In Medias Res, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Time Travel, don't ask me about the timeline i don't know either <3, implied in the future mostly, no proofreading we die like background clones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:14:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29476041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anaisonfire/pseuds/anaisonfire
Summary: Is it weird that they’re just… talking like this? It’s a little bit weird, probably.Then again, what is the protocol for finding out your soulmate is Darth Maul when you accidentally run into him while hiding out on a pirate planet to avoid the GAR because you’re back in time and need to kill the Sith Lord but he’s also the Republic’s Chancellor that you’re supposed to be protecting? They didn’t train them forthison Kamino.
Relationships: Darth Maul/CT-7567 | Rex
Comments: 4
Kudos: 44
Collections: Star Wars Valentine's Exchange 2021





	tasted hard and right

**Author's Note:**

  * For [svartalfheimr](https://archiveofourown.org/users/svartalfheimr/gifts).



> HAPPY LATE VALENTINE'S DAY 💟
> 
> i'm so sorry this is so late and kinda rough still, I have no excuse 😔 i hope you enjoy it though!! 🥰
> 
> I’d apologize for the excessive _italics_ and "…" but then I'd be lying. It’s Maul, there Must Be Drama. If only in the text and not the narrative lol.

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that the person who says the words you have somewhere on your skin will be a significant one. There are as many interpretations and explanations of  _ what  _ it is as there are planets in the galaxy. More, even.

Most commonly though it's referred to as 'soulmates'.

Maul has alternatively paid too much attention and none at all to the idea of soulmates.

Sidious always made it clear that to a Sith, soulmate links are only a path to more power, to be controlled, used and discarded once they’re no longer useful. (Sidious said that about a lot of things.)

He used to wonder– But it doesn’t matter anymore. It didn’t back then and it doesn’t now.

Maul tends to mostly ignore his marks these days. His plans take precedence over anything.

And now. Of course. Because nothing can ever go as planned. The universe decides to throw  _ this  _ in his path.

_ Soulmate _ , he thinks with some… unidentifiable emotion.

**_Soulmate_ ** , he thinks, staring back at the  _ clone  _ who said  _ those words _ .

Captain Rex. Maul rolls the name in his head, calling to mind what he knows about him. Skywalker’s Captain (Maul doesn’t understand how the Grand Army of the Republic’s ranks and assignments work and he doesn’t  _ want  _ to know). The symbol on his helmet means something to Mandalorians, he thinks.

That’s it.

It is not nearly enough information, not now that he knows it's  _ him _ . Displeasing and entirely unacceptable. Hmm…

Rex isn’t sure how he ended up in this situation but he’s going to blame the Force for it.

The Sith Lord staring at him with what seems suspiciously like  _ wonder _ , or maybe just his ‘I am considering the best way to murder you’ face, certainly lends credence to that idea.

“You know, if you’re going to gruesomely kill me, you should just get it over with. I have things to do,” is what actually ends up coming out of Rex’s mouth, against all his intentions.

He wants to wince but that’s probably showing too much weakness, soulmate or no.

The fact that he can’t entirely regret saying it is definite proof that Ahsoka and—  _ Ahsoka  _ is still a bad influence after all this time.

_ Darth Maul _ narrows his very… yellow eyes at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous,  _ Captain _ . Why would I do that?”

Rex ignores the little shiver he gets at the way he says ‘Captain’.  _ Sith.  _ **_Danger._ **

“Oh, I don’t know… Previous experience? Reasonable expectations?”

Snarking was probably not the smartest response in this situation but his ability to care had run out several years ago and hasn’t made a return yet.

Still, he didn’t immediately die, so, success. (Ahsoka’s influence. Definitely.)

Maul doesn’t reply, just continues looking. Rex is reminded of that one time Torrent ran into a Nexu cat. It just stared at them, circled a few times very threateningly and left. He’s not sure if he’s hoping for the last to happen now, though the comparison seems apt enough otherwise.

Is it weird that they’re just… talking like this? It’s a little bit weird, probably.

Then again, what  _ is _ the protocol for finding out your soulmate is Darth Maul when you accidentally run into him while hiding out on a pirate planet to avoid the GAR because you’re back in time and need to kill the Sith Lord but he’s also the Republic’s Chancellor that you’re supposed to be protecting? They didn’t train them for _this_ on Kamino.

The silence stretches.

“I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me who the Sith Master is?” His mouth asks, once again without his brain’s input. He almost wants to wince. He doesn’t though, or try to take it back, just looks at -  _ his soulmate _ \- Maul. 

Whose attention almost visibly sharpens at his words.

“And what is it to you?” And. As a Sith, he really has no business having such a good voice— No, focus, Rex.

“Well, it would be good if the war ends soon,” he says, hopefully managing calm.  _ Good _ , hah. Talk about understatements. 

_ Even better if it ends  _ **_without_ ** _ either the clones or the Jedi dying, too.  _ He doesn’t say  _ that _ .

“Oh? And what will you do with that information?” Maul asks, with what might almost be… genuine curiosity? Yes, that’s definitely interest there.

Rex isn’t sure how to take that. He definitely notices that he’s dropped the habit of referring to him as ‘clone’, too. Is he reading too much into it? They  _ really  _ did not prepare him for this on Kamino.

“Well,” Rex says entirely intentionally, “extermination, for starters.”

Maul instantly  _ smirks _ , who does that— Oh, not fair. He looks  _ good _ . Rex despairs at his taste and the universe at large, for putting him in this situation.

And then.

“But you don’t need me to  _ tell  _ you, do you?”

_ How did he _ —

_ Kriffing Force users _ .

He considers playing it off (or trying to) but— it probably won’t work. And he needs to do  _ something _ . He has no plan and his options are running out by the day.

Ah, to hell with caution.

“Not really, no.” He looks him up and down, maybe  _ too  _ slowly but no one’s going to question him here. “Am I right to assume you’re not the biggest fan either?”

“Not as such.” Maul grins at him with too much teeth to be called _nice_ … but he appreciates it still. “I think, _Rex_ , that we are going to get along very, very well.”

And looking at him, and the words on his forearm… Rex has to agree. This—  _ this  _ he can work with.

Maul’s got a  _ look  _ on his face and it might be making Rex a bit breathless.

Yes… More than work with, even. 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like Maul would be _super_ into the whole idea of soulmates, especially the destiny aspect and whatnot. As soon as Rex ""joked"" about killing Palps Maul was already ride or die. And yes, I cheated and didn't put what the actual soulmarks say into the text, sorry ;-; (It's a first-words-show-up-on-your-soulmate's-skin kind of AU, if it wasn't clear from the almost nonexistent description lmao.)
> 
> ~~is this ooc?? i can't tell anymore and the crack-ishness isn't helping but i hope not klhjaskd~~
> 
> Also cAN YOU TELL that this was supposed to be way longer but due to my own bad decisions I ran out of time?? I hope it was still fine though!
> 
> /tumblr @[anaisonfire](https://anaisonfire.tumblr.com/) for yelling, i'm currently neck deep in another fandom but i'm always down for star wars talk


End file.
